Page 24 of Feral: Part Two
I swallow nervously as Ulysses’ grip tightens on my wrist, the guards making way for another Alpha as he steps through the sea of dark clothes and weapons. Each of them lowers their guns slightly as he steps past them, his aura stronger than anything I’ve ever felt from Kael. Almost like he’smorethan just an Alpha.
"Don't fucking shoot him," he growls out.
I frown, recognition finally hitting me. "Arlo? What the fuck is going on?"
Arlo looks up at me, and I'm struck again by just how imposing he is. He easily has a few inches and several pounds on Kael, his presence more intimidating than anyone on the council or from the guards we’ve seen over the years. His dark eyes are filled with a mixture of fury and protective desperation that I recognize all too well.
"I'll explain later," he says, but his attention is already back on the bear.
Without hesitation, Arlo jumps into the pool as the bear starts to lose consciousness from the sedatives. The water splashes around them as he wraps his massive arms around the bear's form, helping to guide him toward the edge of the pool. The bear lets out another massive growl before settling, Arlo whispering something that tells me I’m staring at more than just a wild animal.
One of the guards steps forward, probably planning to take control of the situation, but Arlo glares at him with such intensity that the man actually takes a step back.
"You've done enough," Arlo growls, his voice carrying that dangerous edge that all-powerful Alphas possess when their protective instincts are triggered. "I get that you have a job to do, but scaring him isn't the way to go. You made your point."
Ulysses clears his throat as he shoves his phone back into his pocket, offering me a sheepish smile. "We're sorry for thedisturbance. We'll make sure the fence is fixed as soon as possible. Guards, get that... bear out of here."
Arlo stands up fully in the pool, his clothes clinging to him as he carefully shoulders the now-unconscious bear. The ease with which he maneuvers the massive form over his back speaks to the strength that goes beyond just physical training.
"If you touch him, I will have your heads," Arlo states with deadly calm. "You can guide me somewhere, but you won't touch him. Not again. He's mine."
They exit through the same hole in the fence that the bear created, Arlo carrying his burden while the guards maintain a respectful distance. Ulysses follows behind them, my sorry ass waiting until they’re far enough before rushing back into the house.
"What the hell was that about?" Kael demands as soon as I close the door behind me.
"I think they already created the next feral," I force myself to say. Arlo has never been protective over a damn soul. He’s one of the more elusive Alphas in Wolfscorge and I have absolutely no idea why he’s even in here. He’s never mentioned it and the few times we’ve seen him at the market, it’s a curt conversation here and there.
"I think I missed a few chapters," Slate says, bringing me back to reality.
I look to Kael, who just sighs deeply before launching into an explanation that's going to shatter whatever illusions any of us had left about our situation.
"We've been researching the real reason we got transferred here rather than just finishing our sentence out in jail. We all know now that it's because we're exactly what a feral pack was supposed to be made up of. It means that you can shift and we're all going to be slightly off kilter." Kael pauses, his jaw tightening as he continues. "But a little more digging has revealed thatliterally everything we've done up until this point is part of the experiment.
Slate nods from where he’s perched at the edge of the couch beside Kael. “Yes, Malik told me some of that. And I’ve heard you guys talking a little bit aboutThe Collectiveor whatever.”
Kael forces a smile onto his face. "Thane and I worked forThe Collective.Our parents kind of helped start the whole thing, but they’re really into scientific and genetic experiments and bullshit. We’ve both been jipped out of rightful positions, but I guess it was all part of the plan so we’d revolt and find ourselves here. Thane's mother sent us a little box a year or so ago and it had one of the old notepads from the company with a handful of animals on it. Fox, bear, snake, maybe? I'm not sure," Kael continues, his voice getting rougher with each word.
"You really think they're just going around making shifters?" Slate asks. "For what?"
"At first, I thought it might be some kind of zoo," I say, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "They've always wanted to be the best, show off medical curiosities, build things they were never supposed to. If they could bring back dinosaurs,The Collectiveabsolutely would be the ones running the park."
“But you don’t think that now.” Slate runs his tongue along the top of his teeth.
Preston groans from his position in Thane's lap. "So, the bear was..."
"I think so," I confirm. "And I think he's Arlo's mate."
Thane frowns, his expression skeptical. "Arlo isn't mated to anyone, not since two days ago. And Slate didn't shift that fast, did he?"
It's a valid point. Slate's transformation took weeks of conditioning, trauma, and systematic breaking down before he ended up shifting. If they've managed to accelerate the processfor subsequent experiments, it suggests they've refined their methods significantly.
I shrug, not having any good answers for the timeline discrepancies. "Who the fuck knows? Slate didn’t shift until both of your bites were in his shoulder, so either Arlo has already mated him or they’ve ripped that poor bear from whatever Alpha helped him shift and stuck him in here. Regardless, they’re not going to stop.”
"What was the next word on the list?" Slate asks, a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty swirling around in his expression.
"Belbus, I think?" I reply, trying to remember the exact order from Kael's recitation of the Latin names.
The color drains from Slate's face so completely that for a moment, I'm worried he might pass out. His dark eyes go wide with what can only be described as horror. "That's a hyena," he whispers. "They're going to try making a fucking hyena?"
